


Toni Stark’s guide to ruling the world.

by TheCuriousCat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Before he meets Steve Rogers who messes him up, Captain Amarica Bashing, F/F, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Howard Stark's Good Parenting, In the Beginning, M/M, Maria Stark's Good Parenting, Multi, Parent Tony Stark, The whole time, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, only slightly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27182434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCuriousCat/pseuds/TheCuriousCat
Summary: Toni didn't want to be kidnapped. Nor did she want to be poisoned by the device keeping her alive or be surrounded by idiots who want her for her technology but here she was, in this game, being screwed over again and again. She's tied, so tied.So she stops, stops trying to hide who her parents made her. She's a Stark after all and it's time that people start remembering that.
Relationships: Howard Stark & Maria Stark & Tony Stark, Howard Stark/Maria Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts & James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Steve Rogers/Howard Stark
Comments: 28
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

Toni Stark is the 15 year old genius daughter of Howard and Maria Stark, both of which are also genius'. She attends MIT, currently doing her masters in robotic engineering, and her best friend is James Rhodes or Rhodey. Her parents were understandably worried in the beginning seeing as he was 18, closer to 19, when they met but after finding out that he had saved her from a group of jocks and gotten himself sent to the hospital for his trouble they basically adopted him. Having a family with genius level IQ makes connecting difficult, sure they are the only people that really understand each other but their minds go so fast that it's easy to lose each other. More than once a simple conversation about Einstein's theory of relativity ends with them bolting from each other as their minds drown them in ideas. It's half the reason that she left for university while her parents basically lived in their departments at Stark Industry's. The other half is science but she's sure that is clear.

The point is that Toni is 15, she’s still at MIT for the Christmas holidays and she misses her parents. Rhodey is at his family's home meaning that she's alone, she hates it but she's the one who chose this. She's in the middle of a time sensitive project and her parents completely understand, it doesn't mean that they don't miss her as well. She's reminded of that fact with the largish box she gets from them. She pulls off the first layer of wrapping and reads the note.

_**'Hello Mia figlia, I hope this gift finds you well.** _   
_Hello Fiica mea! I miss you!_   
_**I know we agreed not to send gifts this year.** _   
_We all agreed that we would hand them over in person but..._   
_**We discovered this game idea that was coming out and decided that we couldn't wait.** _   
_Only the best for you Fiica mea! You're going to love this, it's virtual reality!_   
_**From what we understand this will let us meet face to face in the virtual reality even though your so far away from us.** _   
_All you need to do is turn on the helmet, lie down and put it on._   
_**Your helmet is already connected to our ones so you should meet us in the character creation menu.** _   
_I'll see you soon. Te iubesc._   
_**Ti amo.** _   
_**Mamma and** Tata. **'** _

By the end of the note Toni has tears in her eyes, she quickly wipes them and follows her parents instructions. At first nothing happens when the helmet covers her head and a spark of worry settles in her stomach, did it get damaged on the way to her? Then suddenly she's falling through a sea of white, just before she hits the bottom she stops. Her feet slowly hit the floor and the endless white turns into a warm looking dressing room, her heart stops for a second as she sees her Tata and Mamma standing in front of one of the mirrors reading the text on it and muttering to themselves.

"Mamma, Tata"

She manages to croak out as happy tears prick the corner of her eyes, they spin to look at her and rush over. She's not at all ashamed to say that she cried in their arms, she should have gone home for Christmas. She missed them so much. They pull back after a while and her Tata cups her face.

"Look at you Fiica mea! So big and strong! How is school? How is James? Are you sleeping alright? Creezi minuni pe care lumea nu le-a văzut niciodată?"

She gives him a watery smile as she curls her hands around his wrists, an old gesture from when her Tata would meet her after boarding school. Her Mamma scoffs good naturally.

"And everyone says I'm the worrier. Il mio amore, how will she answer if you don't let her speak?"

The tips of her Tata's ears twinge pink but his smile grows, it makes her relax. This space must be safe if they are both willing to drop the public masks.

"School is going well Tata, my teacher keeps trying to tell me about Pseudomuscular Gel Actuators for Advanced Robotics but getting the formula wrong which is annoying. Rhodey was doing well the last time he called, he was exited about a new game that I think might be this one. And of course I am, I'm a Stark Tata"

Her Tata grumbles about incompetent teachers while her Mamma raises her eyebrow playfully.

"I didn't hear you say anything about sleeping Mia figlia."

She finally breaks away from her Tata so she can meet her Mamma's eyes, she tilts her head defiantly. Her Mamma watches her with pride.

"I'll say I slept during my experiment if you say you slept between the six galas I heard about."

The look of pride intensifies as her Tata lets out a loud joyous laugh. She can't help but smile as well, she really missed them.

"She's got you there Iubirea mea, I know you love social manipulation but it shouldn't keep you up at night."

Mamma raises an eyebrow at Tata.

"Yes, of course. I'm sure the three new bombs R&D are praising just came to you in your sleep."

Her Tata's laugh turns embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck, she decides to save them all from a talk about healthy sleeping habits that none of them are going to follow.

"So, what where you looking at before I got here?"

They both light up and drag her over to the large mirror, budding argument completely forgotten. She now sees that it's full of locations and information, her fingers skim over a two lines that catch her interest. 'Mountains filled with rare ore' and 'Magical hotspots'. The scientist in her wants to go to the mountains while the budding socialist can't help but be pulled towards the magical areas.

"We were debating what race we wanted Fiica mea, **I** think being a Dwarf would be the most interesting with all the raw materials we get to play with but your mother wants to be a _Nymph_." 

Her Tata rolls his eyes playfully then jumps out of the way as her Mamma tries to swat him, he sticks his tongue out at Mamma as she covers up her chuckles.

"Having magic would be a huge advantage Il mio amore, do not deny this. Imagine what we could do if we mixed it with technology, Nymphs are naturally magical meaning that it would be easier to learn." 

Tata puffs up and she realizes that she's walked, or fell really, into an ongoing a fight. (Fights in the Stark household are legendary, another downside of living with people of equal intellect.) So she looks for a way to defuse the situation, it takes a few swipes of the mirror before she finds it. The air behind her is starting to get heavy and the words being tossed around are getting sharper, she just hopes that this is the right compromise. She clicks the button selecting the location and race she wants before selects the party lock (Meaning that everyone in her lobby, her Mamma and Tata, will have the same selection as her.) then clicks confirm.

***Ping***

**Race selected: Mountain Nymph**

**Are you sure?**

**[Yes] / [No]**

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Homeland selected: Birmingrich Peaks**

**Are you sure?**

**[Yes] / [No]**

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Loading. . .**

**Loading . . .**

**Welcome Stark family! We hope you enjoy your new life.**

A male voice rings out snapping her Mamma and Tata out of their argument, before they can comment the room around them crumbles and they all fall into the darkness.

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

They keep falling until the world starts building its self under them, they freeze before they hit the mountain side for a moment then fall the rest of the way. It doesn't hurt and Toni pushes herself up and looks around, the very first thing she notices is that her parents look odd as they push themselves up. Their skin is a dark grey, like stone, and their hair and clothes are a dark green. Her Mamma looks at her and gasps in shock, as she moves Toni can see dark brown in her hair, like branches. Mamma reaches for her then sees her own hands, she lifts her hands up as well and stares. It would seem that she's made of stone as well. She doesn't know how long they sit there studying themselves but at some point her Tata has had enough, he pushes himself to a stand and helps them up. As soon as they do the system decides to interact with them, a transparent screen appears in front of each of them.

***Ping***

**Achievement Unlocked:** _I am who I am._  
 _With the basic information gained from your mind we have managed to set up your beginning stats. Your welcome._

 **Reward:** _(+20 Gold Coins)_

She blinks and clicks the stat button that is blinking in the top left, she sees her parents do the same but she can't see what is on their screens.

**\- Stats-**

**STR: 10**

**CON: 9**

**DEX: 8**

**INT: 20**

**WIS: 10**

**CHA: 18**

**LUK: 8**

**Points: 0**

Well, that looked quite accurate which didn't sit that well with her but she doesn't have much time to contemplate it as the world around her and her parents shifts. It makes her feel sick so she moves over to her parents and clings to them a little, they don't look much better but then again, neither do the other Mountain Nymphs that start popping in around them in the Mountain town square. It's a habit that makes her straiten up and don her mask in public, her parents doing the same.

***Welcome one and all to Final Chronicles. I'm afraid that you have been misled when purchasing my game, I hope that you have looked at your stats because that will be the only thing that I won't be changing. That and the family party's.***

The sinking feeling in Toni's gut grows as the sky flickers and shows news reports that make her breath hitch. The clips show crying family's and the headlines urgently warn people not to try and disconnect people from the game, they say that disconnecting them kills them. She, like many, try to log out but the button isn't anywhere on her translucent screen when she figures out how to bring it up. She can see the way the corners of her Mamma's eyes tighten and her Tata's hands clench slightly, she wishes that she just went home for the holiday's.

***By now you should be realizing that you can't log out, that is because I wanted to make this world as real as possible. This also means that if you die here you die in the 'real world' as well***

People around her family start to panic.

***Now, I am not a cruel man so I shall set each person or party with a home that fits the size of the person or group. You will have six months free living but then you will have to make up the rent yourselves, your welcome.***

She was really starting to hate this asshole.

***Now, I hope you enjoy the changes to your lives. You'll be thanking me eventually.***

Once the videos and voice cut off the world dissolves around them again, she clings to her parents as they fall until she passes out.

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

She wakes up slowly and blinks, she feels the panic curling warmly up her chest as she registers the unfamiliar surroundings. She starts listing the periodic table to calm herself down as she looks around. 

_Hydrogen._   
_Discovery date - 1766_   
_Discovered by Henry Cavendish_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Greek 'hydro' and 'genes' meaning water forming._   
_Melting point - −259.16°C, −434.49°F, 13.99 K_   
_Boiling point - −252.879°C, −423.182°F, 20.271 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.000082_   
_Relative atomic mass - 1.008_   
_State at 20°C - Gas_   
_Key isotopes - 1H, 2H_   
_Electron configuration - 1s1_

Her mind is still foggy but she forces herself to concentrate.

_Helium_   
_Discovery date - 1895_   
_Discovered by Sir William Ramsay in London, and independently by Per Teodor Cleve and Nils Abraham Langlet in Uppsala, Sweden_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Greek, 'helios' meaning sun, as it was in the sun's corona that helium was first detected._   
_Melting point - Unknown_   
_Boiling point - −268.928°C, −452.07°F, 4.222 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.000164_   
_Relative atomic mass - 4.003_   
_State at 20°C - Gas_   
_Key isotopes - 4He_   
_Electron configuration - 1s2_

The bed she was on was comfortable and the room was lit up by the window on her left even if it was all made out of wood.

_Lithium_   
_Discovery date - 1817_   
_Discovered by Johan August Arfvedson_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Greek 'lithos' meaning stone._   
_Melting point - 180.50°C, 356.90°F, 453.65 K_   
_Boiling point - 1342°C, 2448°F, 1615 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.534_   
_Relative atomic mass - 6.94_   
_State at 20°C - Solid_   
_Key isotopes - 7Li_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s1_

The fog cleared somewhat and she remembered everything, the game, the fact that they were trapped here. The warm panic started curling under her skin again but she shoved it away.

_Beryllium_   
_Discovery date = 1797_   
_Discovered by Nicholas Louis Vauquelin_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Greek name for beryl, 'beryllo'._   
_Melting point - 1287°C, 2349°F, 1560 K_   
_Boiling point - 2468°C, 4474°F, 2741 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 1.85_   
_Relative atomic mass - 9.012_   
_State at 20°C - Solid_   
_Key isotopes - 9Be_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s2_

She pushes herself up to get out of the bed and realizes that her skin is tan again, she spots a mirror sitting on a vanity desk and shakily makes her way towards it. She looks just like she did when she was looking in the options menu, like she does every day. 

_Boron_   
_Discovery date - 1808_   
_Discovered by Louis-Josef, Gay-Lussac and Louis-Jacques Thénard in Paris, France, and Humphry Davy in London, UK_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Arabic 'buraq', which was the name for borax._   
_Melting point - 2077°C, 3771°F, 2350 K_   
_Boiling point - 4000°C, 7232°F, 4273 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 2.34_   
_Relative atomic mass - 10.81_   
_State at 20°C - Solid_   
_Key isotopes - 11B_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s22p1_

She checks her translucent screen again but, as she expected, the log out button isn't there. She closes it with a snarl then makes her way out of the room, the hallway is just as wooden as the room she woke up in which bugs her. Don't get her wrong, it's pretty but she hates it. Hates what it means.

_Carbon_   
_Discovery date - Prehistoric_   
_Discovered by Unknown_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Latin ‘carbo’, charcoal_   
_Melting point - Sublimes at 3825°C, 6917°F, 4098 K_   
_Boiling point - Sublimes at 3825°C, 6917°F, 4098 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 3.513 (diamond); 2.2 (graphite)_   
_Relative atomic mass - 12.011_   
_State at 20°C - Solid_   
_Key isotopes - 12C, 13C, 14C_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s22p2_

She makes it half way down the hall before she hears a door creaking behind her, she turns half expecting someone unknown but is faced by her Tata who also looks like he did before.

"Antonia! Am fost atât de îngrijorată când ne-am trezit fără tine. Ești în regulă? Ești rănit? Fiica mea dragă."

He shouts as he rushes over to her, he pulls her into a tight hug as her Mamma rushes out of the room. She spots them the launches herself at them with tears in her eyes.

"Mia cara Antonia. Eravamo così preoccupati. Quindi, così preoccupato. Non ti perderò mai più di vista, figlia mia."

She closes her eyes and lets herself cry. They say sitting until the sun sets and they can't fight their hunger anymore, They slowly search for the kitchen, she isn't surprised when she finds it made out of wood as well. It is fully stocked with ingredients to make all of their favorites, it makes her so angry and the world starts to slow down as she feels herself start to warm up. An equation starts flickering into existence in front of her eyes so she closes them and thinks of the next element on the Periodic Table.

_Nitrogen_   
_Discovery date - 1772_   
_Discovered by Daniel Rutherford_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived from the Greek 'nitron' and 'genes' meaning nitre forming._   
_Melting point - −210.0°C, −346.0°F, 63.2 K_   
_Boiling point - −195.795°C, −320.431°F, 77.355 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.001145_   
_Relative atomic mass - 14.007_   
_State at 20°C - Gas_   
_Key isotopes - 14N_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s22p3_

The warmth recedes and she _**feel** _time speed back up, she has a feeling that they're going to need to figure out exactly what the nameless asshole changed about their choices and soon.

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Mia figlia - Italian - My Daughter  
Fiica mea - Romanian - My Daughter  
Te iubesc - Romanian - I love you  
Ti amo - Italian - I love you  
Mamma - Italian - Mom  
Tata - Romanian - Dad  
Creezi minuni pe care lumea nu le-a văzut niciodată? - Romanian - Do you create miracles that the world has never seen?  
Il mio amore - Italian - My love  
Iubirea mea - Romanian - My love  
Antonia! Am fost atât de îngrijorată când ne-am trezit fără tine. Ești în regulă? Ești rănit? Fiica mea dragă. - Romanian - Antonia! I was so worried when we woke up without you. Are you ok? Are you hurt? My darling daughter.  
Mia cara Antonia. Eravamo così preoccupati. Quindi, così preoccupato. Non ti perderò mai più di vista, figlia mia. - Italian - My darling Antonia. We were so worried. So, so worried. I am never letting you out of my sight again my daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if I'm getting the equations wrong. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes after all.

Toni loves her parents and she **knows** that they love her. She knows this... she also knows that this is her fault, she knows that they know that too. She's the one who didn't come home for Christmas, she's the reason that they are sitting at this wooden table in this wooden house. It feels like the first nail in the coffin and it hurts.

Equations flicker in the corner of her vision in time with the rolling heat under her skin, the constant slowing and speeding of time makes her feel sick and her Mamma and Tata look the same. She's tempted to complete one but the heat only comes when she feels the need to explode so she pushes the thought away with an element.

_Oxygen_  
_Discovery date - 1774_  
_Discovered by Joseph Priestley in Wiltshire, England and independently by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in Uppsala, Sweden_  
_Origin of the name - The name comes from the Greek 'oxy genes', meaning acid forming._  
_Melting point - −218.79°C, −361.82°F, 54.36 K_  
_Boiling point - −182.962°C, −297.332°F, 90.188 K_  
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.001308_  
_Relative atomic mass - 15.999_  
_State at 20°C - Gas_  
_Key isotopes - 16O_  
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s22p4_

"... So, how do you both like my Rigatoni con la pajata?"

Mamma suddenly asks snapping both her and Tata out of their thoughts.

"It is wonderful Iubirea mea. You are truly a culinary artist."

"Yes Mamma, It tastes wonderful"

Mamma raises an eyebrow as Toni nods along with Tata.

"Really? I find that hard to believe since neither of you have eaten any of it."

Mamma's tone takes a dangerous turn, in response both of them stuff a big bite into their mouths. It tastes like something delivered from the heavens making them moan a little and dig in, Mamma looks pleased as she joins them. Toni doesn't see another equation all night.

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

They go out to explore the next morning and find out that their new house is inside a giant tree filled with pre dug out tunnels as well as window like holes that show them an equally giant forest, all the wood suddenly makes sense. They aren't the only ones out though, it seems like everyone has followed their lead. They and the small group of people from their tunnel follow it's winding path until it opens up to a large meeting space with a large translucent screen at the back that showed a count down. This is where Toni finds her best friend and his mom, dad and little sister.

"Rhodey!"

She cries out as she breaks away from her parents, his head snaps in her direction. As soon as he spots her he rushes over, they meet half way and she throws herself into his arms. He hugs her hard.

"Tones, god, you have no idea how much I needed to know that you were ok"

He whispers into her hair, she clings to him harder and finds that he has a new scent to him. It smells like a spring breeze.

“Howard! It is good to see you my friend!”

She hears and turns, it’s Obi. Tata laughs brightly as he pulls her godfather into a hug. Inspired by her and Tata people come together looking for familiar faces, some are disappointed but not all. An hour later Tata and Mamma walk onto a stage she hadn’t noticed before and draw everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I know what happened yesterday was terrible and many of you feel like this is hopeless, that it would be better if you just gave up.”

She could hear people murmuring agreement with what her Tata was saying.

“But that is not the case my friends. Yes, we are stuck here and yes, we do not wish to be but giving up is what this man wants! He wants us to give in. He wants us to give up. Well I say no! I refuse to let a faceless man control my life! Nor will I let him control the lives of my wife and daughter!”

The crowd begins cheering, Tata waits for them to die down before he speaks again. The proud look on Mamma’s face tell her that she was the one who wrote Tata’s speech.

“What if I told you that in a few short years our community could be thriving? That we would never again be at the mercy of faceless beings? As some of you know, my name is Howard Stark. CEO of Stark Industries. I am willing to rebuild here, with your help. I know some of you will not want to help build a weapons company and that is ok but I want us to be prepared for whatever is coming when the timer behind me hits zero. I want to be able to protect our allies and obliterate our enemies. Who. Is. With. Me!”

The crowd cheers again, louder and full of joy. It echoes off of the wooden walls making her ears ring.

“Well then, line up my friends and myself, my wife and my daughter will give jobs! We have six months before the free time limit is up and ten years before the timer stops. Let us make sure we are ready!”

They cheer even louder. She shoots Rhodey a smile then heads over to her parents so that she could help them sort through the thousands of people in their tree home.

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The first thing they did after the long sorting process was split up into their departments and continue exploring their new city, as she was 15 she was told to stay with the children. She didn't like it but she agreed. They they laughed and played for a few hours before tiny little four year old Riri Williams got knocked to the ground. When she looked up her eyes were glowing red, Toni immediately rushes over to her to see if she's alright as the others back up. As soon as she's in Riri's space the world slows down but she ignores it.

"Hey kid, you ok?"

She whispers as she pets the younger girls hair, the red in Riri's eyes starts flickering with orange and yellow. Equations popping up in her vision.

"It hurts" 

Riri whimpers, the air around them heating up. It should scare Toni but somehow it feels natural, the warmth under her skin swirling up to match.

"I know Riri, you can let go."

Riri's eyes go wide as little flames roll just under her skin.

"I'll hurt you"

Riri whimpers again, Toni smiles gently and pulls Riri into her chest and hugs her.

"You won't"

She assures as she pets Riri's hair, Riri trembles a little then relaxes.

"14"

The fire under Riri's skin explodes outwards and Toni has a split second to pick an equation of her own.

_(5) 5!_  
_= ---------_  
_(3) (5-3)!3!_

[Binomial Coefficients](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07oNEAcZNko) her mind quickly supples, quick and easy

_5X4X3X2X1_  
_= ------------_  
_2! 3!_

_5X4X ~~3X2X1  
~~= ------------  
2! ~~3!~~_

_5X4_  
_= -------_  
_2!_

_2! = 2x1_  
_= 2_

_= 5x2_

"10"  
  
A bubble of roaring blue flames suddenly surounds them, Riri's fire smashing into it and extinguishing. Riri looks at it in wonder as her eyes melt back into a honey brown, Toni can't help but join her as the swirling mass of blue flames dies out. All the kids look both scared and fascinated.

"Felling better?"

Toni asks Riri as she smiles encouragingly at the other under 16 year olds. At Riri's nod and bright smile the others swarm them with exited questions. They spend the rest of the time waiting for the adults playing with equations and elemental magic, games like tag turn into magical cases. While She and Riri seem to be connected to fire (which they and the other fire uses use to blast themselves out of peoples reach) they find out that there are three other elemental connections. Kamala Khan, age 7, found her connection with water and had lots of fun semi liquifying her body so that she could twist and stretch herself out of the way. Little 5 year old Peter Parker and 3 year old Miles Morales find out that they are connected to air and end up using little streams of mist the swing around in the air. Harley, age 6, and his little sister Sawyer, age 2, found connections to earth. Harley used this to create shields of dirt around them.

Toni smiles brightly at her Tata and Mamma as they and the others return from the exploration, the kids behind her using their magic freely with loud laughter.

"Welcome back Mamma, Tata. Was your day as eventful as mine?"

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

They spend the next month taking stock of everything in their tree and learning more about their magic. At the end they find out that the city is fully stocked, hospitals and and schools fully outfitted. So during the second month teachers and medical staff get acquainted with their new work spaces everyone else not looking after the younger children start with the construction of the new Stark industrious. With the city being full they decide to set up in an even bigger tree, the old willow tree stands tall radiating a pulsing power that draws them to it. The ones connected to earth build and stabilize under ground tunnels while the ones connected to fire light the way. Above ground the people connected with air and water take floor plans and mark how big the floors are going to be.

The schools open during the third month and with most children in classes they suddenly have more hands to help with hollowing out the old willow tree. It takes them another month to hollow it out while keeping the thick wooden floors intact, even with the extra help. During the fifth month they discover runes and it changes **everything**. All of the equipment in their city was run on a unstable mix of magic and technology covered in fading runes which is why her Tata made the decision to split the R&D departments, half would focus on the creation of weapons and the other would focus on creating stable medical equipment. Medical staff also had to re-educate themselves on their field due to their magic, correction, **everyone** had to re-educate themselves on their field due to their magic. That is what they spent the sixth month doing as they all waited for the faceless man's trial period to end.

The day the seventh month started they were greeted by new members of their city, NPC’s. It was a shocking turn of events but when she, Tata and Mamma welcomed them with open arms the others did to. Tata and Mamma even insisted on a city wide party to celebrate. She and her parents were however shocked that these new comers took one look around and names the Stark family royalty. They tried to turn them down but were drowned out by everyone else loudly voicing their agreement, Tata had given them hope and purpose in the beginning while she and Mamma continued to fuel that hope as time marched on. It made sense in their minds since they had already worked under the three of them as employees.

In the time leading up to their first year Stark Industrious finally gets fully furnished, the employees (both PC's and NPC's) get settled in their departments while she and Rhodey end up going back to collage so that they can complete their degrees. Her advanced robotics teacher managing to get stuck in the tree city with them. This is how she remembers her collage project and how most of their city spends the next year and a half not seeing their crown princess. While she was lost in her experiment the rest of the city was discovering more about their situation, like the fact that no one was aging and that no could conceive children of their own.

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Toni stood in one of the collages labs after classes had ended and hammered a metal plate into place, every swing was accompanied with a wave of warmth as low orange flames danced along her skin. It had been a week since she had slept but she was determined to finish, determined to wake them up. Once the metal panel is in place she melts it to the rest so that the body is complete. She is so close, so, so close that her eyes blur as she looks at the code swimming past her face on her computer screen. It looks good, well, she thinks that it dose so she starts the upload then turns and puts her hands on the metal body and completes an equation. It has to be timed perfectly, download and magical input need to cut off at the same millisecond or the whole thing would be ruined.  
  
_4 4 (4) 4 - k k_  
_(3+7) = Σ 3 7_  
_K = 0 (k)_

Ah, [Binomial Theorem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPwrDWQ7hPc). Another easy one, she sighs in relief.

_(4) 4 (4) 3 (4) 2 2 (4) 3 (4) 4_  
_= 3 + 3 x 7 + 3 x 7 + 3 x 7 + 7_  
_(0) (1) (2) (3) (4)_

_(4) 4!_  
_= ------ = 1_  
_(0) 0!4!_

_(4) 4!_  
_= ------ = 4_  
_(1) 1!3!_  
  
_(4) 4!_  
_= ------ = 6_  
_(2) 2!2!_

_(4) 4!_  
= ------ = 4  
_(3) 3!1!_

_(4) 4!_  
_= ------ = 1_  
_(4) 4!0!_

_4 3 2 2 3 4_  
_3 + 4 (3 x 7) + 6 (3 x 7 ) + 4 (3 x 7 ) + 7_

_27 + 756 + 2646 + 4116 + 2401_

"9190"

She says quickly as the download bar climbs to 100%, she feels the fire magic rushing out of her as the room becomes both to hot and to cold all at once. Her vision blurs more and her ears ring but she stays until the download bar is at 99%, she forces the magical flow to stop with the last of her strength then falls to the side. Under the ringing she hears the faint sounds of moving wheels then the sounds of clanging as her robot friend yanks an oil stained cloth off of her work bench and ruffly tries to pat her head. She opens her blurry eyes and lets out a weak chuckle as she pats its base.

"I'm fine dummy, just...need a... nap..."

She falls asleep to panicked beeping.


	3. Chapter 3

“...Unit.....boot”

She weakly tries to push herself away from the insistent poking.

“....Creator-Unit?.... re-boot”

The poking was starting to hurt, and she realized that it wasn’t going to stop. She blinks awake with a sigh and watches the robot whirl around in happiness... wait! She shoots up and stares in wonder as _**her** _robot expresses _**happiness**_. She knows he can, she _**feels** _it.

“Creator-Unit has re-booted. DUM-E was successful. Creator-Unit experiencing emotion outputs: Happiness (72%) and Surprise (28%). Creator-Unit experiencing sub emotion outputs: Pleasure (33%), Anticipation (28%), Relief (16%), Pride (14%) and Amusement (9%)."

She blinks in surprise at the little voice in her head then smiles brightly and pets the top of the robots arm.

"That's right, I am very happy right now. Thank you for waking me up."

"DUM-E is experiencing emotion outputs: Happiness (100%). DUM-E experiencing sub emotion outputs: Contentment (100%)."

It... no, he, rolls forward slightly and presses harder into the hand she's using to pet him.

"Uh... who named you?"

"Creator-Unit designated Helper-Unit's label"

This is followed by a slightly scratchy recording.

~~_**"I'm fine dummy, just...need a... nap..."** _ ~~

Oh... does she really sound like that? No time to worry about it now anyway. Her mind already spinning with ideas.

"Okay, DUM-E. Lets do a few tests to see exactly what you can do."

"DUM-E is experiencing emotion outputs: Surprise (100%). DUM-E experiencing sub emotion outputs: Anticipation (100%)."

This makes her laugh as she moves things out of the way.

"Okay DUM-E, test one..."

  
**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Tata and Mamma are over the moon with DUM-E even if they can't hear him themselves. Tata proudly introduces him as his grandson to everyone which is met with fond looks from board members (The royal court) to workers. The children love DUM-E to bits meaning that he is always in the center of attention. His 'emotion output' never strays from the nicer emotions which makes her happy in turn even if she very confused about why everyone loves him so much. Rhodey tried to explain once but she got distracted half way through because "What the hell do you mean we aren't aging!?" This leads him to explain that they were aging, just very very slowly.

"It's estimated that our bodies will age a year every decade, Tones. I know you were locking yourself in the campus lab but really. This is old news at this point, this and the fact that we can't..."

"Not now Rhodey! I have to experiment!"

"But Tones..."

"Talk later Sugar cube. Science!"

"Urg, fine. I'll get you the study."

"Yay, love you."

"I love you too"

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Ten years is both a long time and no time at all. Defenses and offenses grow but so does medicine and education. Magic and runes spreading like wild fire. By the time the countdown hits Zero they have transformed the circle of trees surrounding the old oak, lighting the very clearing that it sat in with a soft glow.

As the timer ticked down the the last seconds the whole city crowded into the announcement room to watch, Toni and her family right in the front. The sound of the 'Voice' was a surprise since they hadn't heard it since the beginning of the game.

**‘For those of you who have made it a decade I congratulate you! It is no easy feat. For this you have earned a prize. As you can see on your map the boarders on your islands have fallen meaning that you can interact with your neighbors. You can’t leave the islands yet though. You’ll have to wait another decade for that, good luck.’**

No one knew if new city’s were going to be friendly or not but what they did know was that they were prepared for anything. 

**\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

They turned out to be cautious but friendly according to Tata. They also turned out to be giants, or well, everyone in the tree was extremely small but a quick spell had leveled the playing field. He also told them that he'd made it seem like he was just a CEO not the king, he also pretended not to have any magic. "Better to have them underestimate us." It was widely decided that the whole city would follow in his lead so Guards where set up at the premotor of their forest as they built twisting structures that met the size of the giants around their trees. 

Stark Industries most protected secret.


	4. Chapter 4

During the next decade the world started to change, well, the people of the world started to change. It turns out that (other than them being tiny while others where giant) the first decade was meant for them to get used to their magic and the second was for them to get used to the physical looks and mannerisms of their race. 

It started with the sharpening of their teeth and the slide from Omnivore to Carnivore, slowly changing until the whole city's mouths resembled that of a sharks. Next came the glow, slowly over time people noticed that their magic literally lit them up. After that the wings appeared, each pair taking on a look that most suited the persons magic. [Water](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/803048177288550459/), [Air](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/645492559066180497/), [Fire](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/815573813783774861/), [Earth](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/28569778871009659/). These changes didn't affect the image they put up whenever they were pretending to be part of the giants making people from the other nations truly think that they were human.

The constant need to feed people outside their kingdom was also annoying as well as their inability to lie. Pepper (An 18 year old NPC elected by the other NPC's) explained that they were unable to lie because the fay just didn't lie, it was the one thing about the fay that others could always rely on. If they gave a direct answer it was always true. The feeding people thing however...

"So you're telling me that if non fay eat our berries they become bound to our kingdom?!" Toni asked in shock and horror. Pepper nods and Toni has to fight the panic. Slaves! She was talking about SLAVES! Calm down, deep breaths.

_Fluorine_   
_Discovery date - 1886_   
_Discovered by Henri Moissan_   
_Origin of the name - The name is derived form the Latin 'fluere', meaning to flow_   
_Melting point - −219.67°C, −363.41°F, 53.48 K_   
_Boiling point - −188.11°C, −306.6°F, 85.04 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.001553_   
_Relative atomic mass - 18.998_   
_State at 20°C - Gas_   
_Key isotopes - 19F_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s22p5_

_Neon_   
_Discovery date - 1898_   
_Discovered by Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers_   
_Origin of the name - The name comes from the Greek 'neos', meaning new._   
_Melting point - −248.59°C, −415.46°F, 24.56 K_   
_Boiling point - −246.046°C, −410.883°F, 27.104 K_   
_Density (g cm−3) - 0.000825_   
_Relative atomic mass - 20.180_   
_State at 20°C - Gas_   
_Key isotopes - 20Ne_   
_Electron configuration - [He] 2s22p6_

Okay, she can do this. "I want word sent to Tata and Mamma, they would feel awful if they bound someone to us." Happy nods from her side and rushes off. "Now, is their anything else we need to know about our race?"

\----------------------------------------------

Tata and Mamma spend the second decade touring the new kingdoms selling weapons and building affiances while Toni stays home, it is how she knows about the changes before them and it is how she becomes lonely. She misses them when they can't make it to her 17th/35th birthday even if she does receive letters and presents. It's not like she blames them though, they need to do this if their kingdom is to flourish. 

But she's lonely and that is the start of everything because Toni hates being lonely.


	5. Chapter 5

The start of the second decade starts with a world war because it turns out that they lucked out on the nice neighbors department and the universe decided it was a one time deal.

* * *

"What do you mean you have to leave?!" Mamma yells as Tata packs his bag, her wings flutter furiously as she paces.

"Exactly what I said Iubirea mea. We are at war and the counsel of kings has decided that they want me there when they test our weapons." Tata reply's soothingly as he puts down his suitcase and cups Mamma's face in his hands.

" **You** are a king in case you have forgotten Howard. They have no right to demand anything from you when you are only lending them your aid."

"But they do not know that Maria, they think I am just a business man. We made this rule together Iubirea mea, to keep our fiică safe."

"They think we are normal humans so that they never find out our weaknesses." Mamma sighed in Tata's arms. "Come back to us Il mio amore, Toni is to young to be without her father. DUM-E is to young to be without his grandfather."

"I will, I always come back." He whispers before he kisses her. "I will always come back to you because you are my guiding star."

Toni does not end up seeing her Tata until it is time for him to leave, it's not fair in her mind. He's just got back to the castle and now he's being forced to leave. She lets it go and smiles at him though, they have an image to uphold. DUM-E helps keep the stabbing loneliness away by bumping his head into her palm every time, he's a good son and she loves him to bits.

"You'll be coming home soon Tata, right?" She asks as the four of them walk to where her Tata will be saying goodby to the kingdom.

"Of course I will Draga mea, I will be back in time for your 18th I promise. It is a big event, my daughter being of age. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Promise?" She asks with tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.

"I can do one better than that." He says as he wipes her tears away with his thumbs. "I pinky promise." She can't help but laugh as she links her pinky finger with his.

"Pinky promise."

* * *

**Howard's POV**

The train ride to his first destination is luxurious he will admit though it annoys him slightly that they keep trying to send pretty young ladies to him, they are all enamored of course. He's a 'human' among Elves, a reminder of who they once were. When he finally gets off he is met with a female moon elf in military uniform.

"I suppose you are the one collecting me?" He asks with his showman's smile. She gains his respect by glaring at him, finally! Someone he doesn't have to worry will try and break up his marriage!

"I'm Agent Carter Mr Stark and I'm hear to show you around." Her tone is short and to the point. Thank god.

"Well then Agent Carter, let the way." She leads him to Blaigow Antiques.

As the door closes an old Aquatic Elf comes out to greet them. "Wonderful weather this morning isn't it?" The old woman asks, he goes to agree because it was quite nice out but Agent Carter cuts him off.

"Yes, but I always carry an umbrella." She doesn't have a ... Oh! It's code. Toni would love this! Once she says this she leads him into a changing room that has a bookcase lining the back wall. As soon as they stop in front of it it opens reveling a hidden lab, Toni would definitely love this. 

"Oh this is going to be fun." He says with glee as he rushes slightly ahead.

"I have to get back to the army base Mr Stark. We will be back in a few weeks with the chosen participant, use this time to get used to the team and the technology." He turns and finds a Naga in the place of the moon elf, the change is surprising but he's used to it due to how his people work.

"Then I won't hold you here Agent Carter, I'll see you in a few weeks." Her slitted eyes narrow but she gives him a nod of respect before she leaves. He turns to the elves in uniform and claps his hands. "So which one of you is going to show me to this lab?" This is going to be so fun.


End file.
